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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23123038">When You See It You'll Know</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiwiqueen/pseuds/kiwiqueen'>kiwiqueen</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Dancing, Dancing Lessons, F/F, Flirting, Garreg Mach Ball (Fire Emblem), Pre-Timeskip | Academy Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), White Heron Cup (Fire Emblem)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 06:20:22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>889</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23123038</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiwiqueen/pseuds/kiwiqueen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Amber light and sweet music fill the reception hall for the ball on Garreg Mach Establishment Day.  A commoner and a foreign princess leave their classmates behind to share a dance together.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dorothea Arnault/Petra Macneary, Various background pairings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>38</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>When You See It You'll Know</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Smooth string music poured from the hall as Petra walked in. She stood in stunned silence for a moment, bathed in honey-colored light and the body heat of her classmates, before joining a group of her fellow Black Eagles at a table.</p><p>Linhardt appeared to be half-asleep, with Caspar’s pestering being the only thing keeping him partially awake. Ferdinand was trying to pull Bernadetta onto the dance floor with him, while she clung insistently to her plate of cake. Edelgard and Hubert were missing; Edelgard was dancing, and Hubert was keeping an eye on her from the side of the hall. Dorothea, clad in the flowing red and white dress she had won in the White Heron cup a few days before, smiled sweetly as Petra took the seat next to her.</p><p>“Ferdie, if you want to dance so badly just ask somebody else.”</p><p>“But a noble ought not refuse a gentleman’s invitation to dance. It is quite unbecoming for a respectable young heiress such as yourself, Bernadetta.”</p><p>“Hey, I’m not even done with my cake! I think you’re the rude one for trying to interrupt me while I’m eating!”</p><p>“C’mon Linhardt, you should be enjoying the ball, not sleeping.”</p><p>“Sleeping is how I enjoy myself.”</p><p>“Caspar is right. We are at a ball, and it is proper for us to dance.”</p><p>Petra interjected into the chaos of her classmates. “I would very much like to dance. But I do not know how you are dancing in Fódlan. I will need someone to be teaching me how.”</p><p>“Luckily,” Dorothea rose from her seat, “you have the academy’s best dancer here with you right now. Would you care to dance with me, my lady?” She held her hand out.</p><p>“I would greatly be liking to dance.” Petra accepted Dorothea’s hand.</p><p>The pair made their way to the dance floor, and Ferdinand and Bernadetta’s intensifying argument faded behind them. A lively foxtrot was just ending, and the first notes of a waltz were being played. Hilda hesitantly passed Marianne off to Dimitri. Annette was pulling Ashe into the middle of the room. Claude was twirling their professor around the dance floor, not quite in time with the music. Dorothea took Petra into her arms and guided her hands into place.</p><p>“This one goes on my shoulder, and this one goes on my waist.” Dorothea brought her left foot forward. “Now you step back with your right. Just follow my lead.”</p><p>Petra stumbled through the motions. She took several wrong steps and nearly tripped over her partner’s feet. Her face grew red, her jaw clenched, and her eyebrows knitted together. Her steps started to become more and more frantic as frustration took over her movements.</p><p>“Hey,” Dorothea’s hand squeezed Petra’s upper arm. “I don’t want you getting upset over this. Why don’t we step off the dance floor for a bit?”</p><p>She led Petra to the side of the dance hall, where she poured a glass of water for each of them. Petra gazed into water’s reflective surface, and Dorothea took a long drink, her red lipstick staining the edge of the glass. “Petra, what’s wrong?”</p><p>Petra looked up from her glass. “When I was bringing–when I was brought to the Empire, I was hoping to learn many things here. A simple dance should not give me so much difficulty.”</p><p>Dorothea took Petra’s hand in her own once again. “It was only your first try at it. Nobody picks it up perfectly at first.”</p><p>“But the movements are confusing me very much. I have fear that I will never learn”</p><p> A wily look crossed Dorothea’s face. “Maybe we should practice, then. On our own, somewhere quiet where we won’t have to follow someone’s else’s speed.”</p><p>The pair of girls made their way to the courtyard outside the reception hall. Once again, Dorothea offered her hand with a flourishing bow. Petra was mesmerized by the way the white silk of her skirt swirled around the songstress’s legs, but she took her hand and stepped into the pose they had practiced before, with one hand on her shoulder and the other at her waist. Away from the prying eyes of their fellow academy students, the couple danced, slowly at first, but growing faster as Petra picked up the steps. Back, back, together, forward, forward, together. Dorothea hummed softly as they did so, then she began to sing.</p><p>
  <em> “Look at them, when you see it you’ll know</em>
</p><p>
  <em> Gods, look at them, they’re the stars of their very own show</em>
</p><p>
  <em> Look at them, see they’re moving as one</em>
</p><p>
  <em> That’s what we’re going for, once you find that then you’re done. . .” </em>
</p><p>The duo danced in a swaying square in the relative quiet of the courtyard until Petra’s voice cut through Dorothea’s song. “Dorothea? I am becoming tired. Can we rest for a moment?”</p><p>“Of course.” Both girls took seats in the cool grass, not caring if their clothes got dirty.</p><p>“Thank you for teaching me so greatly.”</p><p>Dorothea giggled, a soothing sound. “Perhaps I should be the next professor.” She schooled her features into their teacher’s stoic expression and mimicked their voice, “Allow me to demonstrate.”</p><p>Laughter rang out from their place under the starry sky. With the chill in the winter air, Petra drew closer to Dorothea, and Dorothea wrapped an arm around her shoulder.</p>
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